Married Clergy Or No Clergy

Father Edward Daly, a highly respected Irish cleric who fought for the rights of Catholics in Northern Ireland has entered the fray and is now fighting for religious rights in his own church. As a senior cleric in the Catholic Church, Father Daly openly called for allowing priests to marry in order to save the church from its own problems. “There will always be a place in the church for a celibate priesthood, but there should also be a place for a married priesthood in the church.”

Father Daly points out the reality of a declining number of Irish born priests to serve the needs of the Irish people. The church has been compelled to bring in priests from other nations which does not address key issues. A foreign born priest may not be as successful in working with Irish people. Daly expressed that he found “heartbreaking” during his time as bishop that so many priests or prospective priests were forced to resign or were unable to get ordained because of the celibacy issue.